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Monday, August 8, 2011

Hacker group Anonymous takes over Syrian Ministry of Defense website

The loose band of global hackers known as Anonymous has claimed another scalp in its ongoing fight against tyrants, corporate crooks and naysayers, taking over the Syrian government Ministry of Defense website and replacing it with message of support for the Syrian people.

News of the hack, just the latest in a string of high profile takedowns that include Rupert Murdoch's News of the Word newspaper, Paypal and others, spread like wildfire over Twitter Sunday night as social media users echoed support.

The hacking excursion comes jus tours after Syrian forces were accused of firing on civilians, killing an estimated 50 people in the rebel-controlled city of Deir al-Zour.

Replacing the traditional website at http://mod.gov.sy/ was an adapted Syrian flag, now featuring the Anonymous logo, with a message below in Arabic and English, saying the following:

"To the Syrian people: The world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Know that time and history are on your side - tyrants use violence because they have nothing else, and the more violent they are, the more fragile they become. We salute your determination to be non-violent in the face of the regime's brutality, and admire your willingness to pursue justice, not mere revenge. All tyrants will fall, and thanks to your bravery Bashar Al-Assad is next."

It continued, "To the Syrian military: You are responsible for protecting the Syrian people, and anyone who orders you to kill women, children, and the elderly deserves to be tried for treason. No outside enemy could do as much damage to Syria as Bashar Al-Assad has done. Defend your country - rise up against the regime! - Anonymous"

This is just the latest incident in a weekend of hacker activity; On Friday, Anonymous hackers broke into the websites and emails of 70 U.S. police networks, and Saturday saw hackers at the DefCon convention run a contest to see which company had the most lax computer security. Oracle had the misfortune of winning the competition.